Globalization's Impact Portrayed in Literature and Movies
me
nt
The globalising world, of the late 20th and early 21st century, presents a myriad of dynamic possibilities in which the responses of individuals transforms the self and shape the communities in which they live. The erosion of traditional boundaries, due to globalisation, has necessitated the reevaluation of an individual’s role and identity in their local and global environment. Thus, the choices made by individuals create a changing reality driven by social, cultural and economical paradigms. The novel The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx, reflects this ambivalent transformation through the narrative of an insular society, in which individuals in the face of globalisation attempt to maintain local traditions. The Visitor, a film directed by Thomas McCarthy, depicts how different circumstances arising from globalisation permeates into the lives of individuals and their community. Lost in Translation, a film directed by Sophia Coppola, explores the impact of a contemporary Japan, on dislocated individuals in search of their identity admit a chaotic world. In contrast, Waris Dirie’s autobiography, Desert Flower, reveals how globalisation can provide opportunities in where an individual can be empowered, enabling them to change their community. These texts provide varying perspective on how a globalised community impacts on individuals and in turn the way in which individuals can change a society.
Th
ink
sw
ap
Do
cu
The Shipping News explores the impact of individual’s reaction to the challenges posed by globalisation in the community of Killick-Claw. The exaggerated characterisation of Tert Card exemplifies an individual’s transformation due to the intense focus on the desire to cash in on economic globalisation. Tert Card, embraces the notion of change and investment opportunities, proclaiming that "The hope of this place is oil", the glorification of a single global identity further exemplified through the symbolism of an oil tanker picture in his
nt
The globalising world, of the late 20th and early 21st century, presents a myriad of dynamic possibilities in which the responses of individuals transforms the self and shape the communities in which they live. The erosion of traditional boundaries, due to globalisation, has necessitated the reevaluation of an individual’s role and identity in their local and global environment. Thus, the choices made by individuals create a changing reality driven by social, cultural and economical paradigms. The novel The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx, reflects this ambivalent transformation through the narrative of an insular society, in which individuals in the face of globalisation attempt to maintain local traditions. The Visitor, a film directed by Thomas McCarthy, depicts how different circumstances arising from globalisation permeates into the lives of individuals and their community. Lost in Translation, a film directed by Sophia Coppola, explores the impact of a contemporary Japan, on dislocated individuals in search of their identity admit a chaotic world. In contrast, Waris Dirie’s autobiography, Desert Flower, reveals how globalisation can provide opportunities in where an individual can be empowered, enabling them to change their community. These texts provide varying perspective on how a globalised community impacts on individuals and in turn the way in which individuals can change a society.
Th
ink
sw
ap
Do
cu
The Shipping News explores the impact of individual’s reaction to the challenges posed by globalisation in the community of Killick-Claw. The exaggerated characterisation of Tert Card exemplifies an individual’s transformation due to the intense focus on the desire to cash in on economic globalisation. Tert Card, embraces the notion of change and investment opportunities, proclaiming that "The hope of this place is oil", the glorification of a single global identity further exemplified through the symbolism of an oil tanker picture in his